National Security “Players”
The President & Congress
The President
Formal Power of the President
{
Commander-in-Chief
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The President shall be commander in chief of
the Army and Navy of the United States, and
of the militia of the several states, when called
into the actual service of the United States; he
may require the opinion, in writing, of the
principal officer in each of the executive
departments, upon any subject relating to the
duties of their respective offices… (U.S. Constitution,
Article II, Section 2)
U.S. Constitution: Presidential Powers
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He shall have power, by and with the
advice and consent of the Senate, to
make treaties, provided two thirds of
the Senators present concur; and he
shall nominate, and by and with the
advice and consent of the Senate, shall
appoint ambassadors, other public
ministers and consuls…
Formal Powers of The President
{
Chief Executive
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{
{
"Heads" the national security establishment
{ All executive dept resources for
intelligence & analysis & implementation
of policy
{ NSC staff
appoints all senior officials, including military
officials
Executive Orders
{ e.g., desegregating the military
Power to Make Treaties
Veto Power
Informal Sources of Presidential Power
{
Status, prestige & popularity
z
Status of the office – Head of State
Only nationally elected official
{ symbol of country
{
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Prior experience = status
{
Positive example
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{
Negative examples
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Bush Sr., heads CIA, Amb. To China
Clinton (draft avoider/protester) & military
public support
Informal Sources of Presidential Power
{
Networks & ties to other political leaders
& appointees
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{
Personality
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{
Johnson's Senate ties
Election campaign help
Reagan – very effective with domestic public
Clinton – very effective with foreign leaders
Carter
“Bully-Pulpit”
Presidential Style
{
{
{
{
Do it all: Carter
Nixon: control
Delegate Responsibility: Reagan
Small Group Control: Bush
Constraints on Presidential Power
{
Power is shared with other institutions
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{
Chain of command
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{
Congress
{ budgets
{ War Powers Act
Intermediate stops between Presidential
decision & government action
Nixon & Schlesinger & “the button”
reelection & fixed term
Rational Actor Model Considerations
{
{
{
Electorate-wide presidency
embodies “national interest”
Socialization of national candidates
Concentration of executive power in
presidency links decision & action
Bureaucratic Model Considerations
{
{
Personal conception of national interests
Institutional interests
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{
Domestic interests
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{
Maintaining the “powers” of the Presidency
Prerogatives of presidency
Party politics
Domestic policy agenda
Personal interests
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Reelection
History & Reputation
Special Assistant to the President for
National Security
{
Personal assistant to President
z
z
z
{
access
Confidence
From coordinator to policy maker &
presidential spokesperson
rivalry with Sec. State/Sec. Defense
The Congress
U.S. Constitution: Congressional
Powers
{
Article I, Section 8:
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The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and
excises, to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general
welfare of the United States;
To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and
offenses against the law of nations;
To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules
concerning captures on land and water;
To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use
shall be for a longer term than two years;
To provide and maintain a navy;
To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval
forces;
To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union,
suppress insurrections and repel invasions;
To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for
governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the
United States, reserving to the states respectively, the appointment of the
officers, and the authority of training the militia according to the discipline
prescribed by Congress;
Formal Sources of Congressional
Power
{
{
{
{
Budget authority
Investigative authority
Confirm senior appointments (Senate)
Declaration of War
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{
{
War Powers Act 1973
Ratify international treaties (Senate)
Large number of committees and
subcommittees with staff able to probe
many issues
Informal Sources of Congressional
Power
{
{
Representative legitimacy
Issue exposure
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public hearings
floor debates
Constraints on Congressional Power
{
{
Authority split between 2 houses
large number of members with
diverse agendas
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acts slowly
Rational Actor Model Considerations
{
Need for majority consensus drives
policy to “median” solutions
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{
Common “national interest”
Two houses with different character
Crisis overwhelms everyday politics
Bureaucratic Model Considerations
{
{
Collective conception of national interest
Institutional interests
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{
{
{
{
relative power viz presidency
Relative power between House & Senate
Committee & subcommittee power
domestic interests
party politics
other policy priorities
personal political interests
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pork-barrel projects
grand-standing (waste, fraud, etc.)
End
War Powers Act 1973
{
{
President cannot commit U.S. forces
to overseas combat for more than
60 days without specific
authorization from Congress [Sec. 5(b)]
Congress can direct withdrawal of
U.S. forces from overseas combat
at any time [Sec. 5(c)]
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House Committees
{
{
{
{
{
Committee on Appropriations
Committee on Armed Services
House Permanent Select Committee
on Intelligence
Committee on International
Relations
Select Committee on Homeland
Security
Senate Committees
{
{
{
{
{
Appropriations Committee
Armed Services Committee
Foreign Relations Committee
Government Affairs Committee
Senate Select Committee on
Intelligence
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